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Officials reminded students at Upper Darby High School and people all over Pennsylvania that texting while driving could land a $50 fine as a ban goes into effect Thursday. NBC10's Tim Furlong reports. (Published Thursday, March 8, 2012)

Starting Thursday, texting while driving will cost you in Pennsylvania.

The "Anti-Texting Law" takes effect Thursday at 12:01 a.m. The new law allows police to charge anyone caught text messaging while operating a vehicle with a primary offense and a $50 fine.

Texting while driving is already banned in New Jersey and Delaware.

Authorities say that the Pa. law will make it clear just how dangerous texting and driving can be. About 14,000 of the Keystone State’s 2010 crashes were attributed to distracted driving. And 68 people died in those wrecks.

Texting While Driving Ban in Effect in Pa.

Texting while driving could start costing drivers Thursday as Pennsylvania joins New Jersey and Delaware in banning text messaging while behind the wheel.

(Published Thursday, March 8, 2012)

"Your most important job when behind the wheel is to focus only on driving," PennDOT Secretary Barry Schoch said in a statement. "Most people would never close their eyes for five seconds while driving, but that’s how long you take your eyes of the road, or even longer, every time you send or read a text message."

Texting While Driving Fines Start Thursday

The "Anti-Texting Law" takes effect Thursday in Pennsylvania and if drivers are caught texting while driving they will be fined $50. Police are hoping that the law will prevent accidents. Officers will be trained on how to differentiate a driver texting from a driver dialing the phone. NBC10's Marisa Brahney speaks to local drivers about the new law.

(Published Tuesday, March 6, 2012)

"This is a serious problem and we are hoping that we can educate citizens on the dangers of texting while driving and prevent future accidents," said State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan.

Police say they hope for voluntary compliance from motorists. But that doesn't mean everyone will stop texting behind the wheel.

"Our troopers will attempt to use observations of the driver while the vehicle is in motion to determine if traffic stops are warranted. An example might be the motorist continues to manipulate the device over an extended distance with no apparent voice communication."